Men's Soccer

MEN'S SOCCER: Cardinals beat Sasquatch

09/28/2018

Men’s soccer picked up a big win Wednesday night over league-leading and NWAC 7th ranked Spokane at Spokane. The win keeps the Cardinals in the running for the playoffs before hitting the road this week against Blue Mountain and Treasure Valley.

From the start, Spokane had the run of play, and the Cardinals struggled to get into the attacking half. To complicate things, captain and starting defensive midfielder Josh Greer had to be pulled after thirteen minutes due to a groin pull as the Sasquatch tested the Cardinals early. Over the course of the half, NIC’s Isaiah Damschen saved a one on one and caught a couple of blasts to keep the scoreline even into the half. Though the run of play seemed to even out over the course of the game, Spokane earned a 7-4 shot advantage and a 7-4 corner kick advantage over the full 90 minutes. At 86 minutes, the Sasquatch had a free kick 33 yards from the Cardinals’ net. After an initial shaky Cardinal clearance, Creed McKinnon was able to get another foot on the ball and send it past the last Sasquatch defender who found himself with a head start in a foot race with NIC’s Noah Dreves. Dreves’ relentless pursuit of the ball created a 50/50 ball, and Dreves was able to get the final touch on it and pass it square to Conner Wold who’d made a run up the middle of the field. Wold’s first touch was a short one forward, his second cut it across the defender’s top foot, and his third touch was a firm shot to the lower left corner for the game winner. In the waning moments of the game, Damschen had one more big save, a tip over the crossbar to secure the shutout.

The Cardinals begin the second half of the season Friday at Blue Mountain in Pendleton, Oregon.